Dreams Are My Reality
by LamiaJade
Summary: Was it real? Did an angel really rescue him from the pit? Or was it just an imagination - another kind of torture to eventually break him? Hurt/Sick!Dean


_Summary_: Was it real? Did an angel really rescue him? Or was it just an imagination - another kind of torture to eventually break him? Hurt/Sick!Dean

A/N: Hey folks!!!

This is a very short one-shot. I know something like this was done a lot lately but hey, don't blame me. Blame the 2 boring lessons of pathology and a nasty earworm of the song 'Changes' by 3 Doors Down (my S4 Dean Winchester song ^^)

A/N: And here a quick note for everybody who's reading my other story 'Swallow The Knife', I'm working on the next chapter right now. And I hope it'll be up in the next couple of weeks. Real life is crazy right now…. (sighs) Can somebody please come up with a 36-hours day?! I know it's no excuse for letting you all wait so long, but I'm trying. ;)

A/N: Like always a huge thanks to my wonderful beta-girl JeanyAlicia. Honey I really don't know what I would do without you!! (hugs)

Warnings: Played in season 4. But no graphic spoilers.

**Disclaimer:** Sadly I don't own anything. It all belongs to Kripke and the CW. If it would be the other way around …. (grins) But sadly it isn't. (sighs)

Have fun reading. And reviews would be awesome (puppy dog eyes) ^^

Dreams Are My Reality

Burning. He was on fire.

Everything was pitch black, but despite of it he could hear the agonized screams and that cruel laughter that echoed around him. He knew it by heart.

God, this couldn't be real. No, Cas dragged him out of here. He was back on earth! Was he? This couldn't …

His awareness crept back to him bit by bit. He felt the white hot pain caused by the hooks which held him in place, tearing through his skin.

Nonononononononono….

"Hey there, Dean. It's been a while!" Alastair's voice cut through the darkness. The words full of glee, triumph and something else. Something that promised a whole world of pain.

Oh god, no!

He felt claws ripping over his body. Tearing deep gashes into his skin.

The metallic scent of blood was almost overwhelming and made him gag.

A new wave of sizzling hot air and pain washed over him.

He screamed.

"Damnit. Hey, Dean, open your eyes!" Sam's frantic voice cut through the blackness and his pain.

Dean squeezed his eyes shut even tighter. He knew this trick. They played it more than once with him.

"No, no….. go 'way.", he whispered brokenly. The laughter surrounded him once again, louder than before. They enjoyed it to see him suffer.

"Dean, come on, man, wake up! You're kinda scaring me here!" His little brother sounded panicked.

He knew, if he would open his eyes, he would see straight in the face of some demonic bastard. But another part of him, the part, that would everything do to keep his baby brother save, screamed that he should open his frigging eyes and make damn sure Sammy was okay.

"Hey, come on, dude!"

Suddenly he felt a cool sensation on his left shoulder. A shiver ran through him and revived the pain once again. Okay, this was new.

"Dean."

He felt a light pressure, like something would squeeze his shoulder slightly.

"Dean!"

He couldn't ignore it any longer. He knew he would regret this, but the need to look was getting the better of him.

He hadn't expected that it would be that hard to open his eyes but eventually they blinked open.

The bright light shot daggers through his skull. Well, this he really didn't expect. Hell never was filled with bright warming light.

"Dean? You with me?"

Again his brother's voice. A part of him really wanted to believe that this was real. Though after all this years down there he should know better. They had their own ways to torture him. And every time it got worse and worse.

He blinked owlishly against the brightness and suddenly he could make out the blurry image of his little brother.

Was this real? God, please let this be real!

Sam looked at him worriedly and a bit scared.

"Hey, you with me now?" Sam still eyed him closely.

Dean tried to focus more on Sam but everything was still so fuzzy. His brother flickered constantly in and out of focus.

"Real?", he mumbled hoarsely. He had to make sure that this wasn't another wicked trick to break him.

Sam looked at him quizzically. It took a second for him to understand the real meaning of this question.

"Yeah, I'm really here. And so are you." He placed a hand on Dean's way too warm and sweaty forehead, not liking the heat that radiated off of him. Fuck, he was burning up.

"Shit, why the hell didn't you say that this S.O.B. clawed you up that bad?", Sam asked with a small note of anger in his voice. He drew back his hand, pulled up his brother's damp T-shirt and revealed a fairly large bandage on his left side. The bandage had some dark red, nearly brown stains on it. At some spots a slight green was mixed into the brownish tone.

Sam carefully peeled back the gauze and eventually glanced with concern at the five deep cuts. The skin around the cuts looked puffy and bright red. Puss oozed out off two of them.

Dried blood still covered some parts around the wound. At least two of them would have needed stitches though thankfully the bleeding had stopped on its own.

Crap, why the heck did his stubborn idiot of a brother always have the need to ignore his own health?

"What ya doing?" Dean's question brought Sam back to the here and now.

"Well, looks like you've got an infection. Though that could've been avoided if you had told me in the first place." The younger Winchester grumbled under his breath.

Dean still looked a bit disoriented and confused. Glassy and slightly unfocused eyes stared at him. Searching for something – reassurance?

"You alright?" Dean slurred softly.

Sam felt the sudden urge to hit his big brother. Stubborn idiot!

"Sure. Thanks to your stunt a few hours ago.", he said and stood up to get the first-aid kit form the bathroom. "Where you also forgot to mention that this damn Black Dog hurt you at all.", he added reproachfully.

While grabbing the first-aid kit he rubbed a hand over his face and sighed heavily. Sure, a part of him was angry and a little disappointed with Dean for not telling him, but most of it, he was worried. This here right now could have been avoided. Didn't Dean suffered enough lately?

It should have been a simple hunt. A Black Dog was killing a bunch of hikers out in the woods of some small town in Montana. It was going smooth until they discovered that this S.O.B. had company. The second one suddenly appeared out of thin air. He couldn't get the gun out and point in time but then, in the blink of an eye he was laying on the forest ground. Looking dumbfounded at the mix of leaves and dirt. The sound of gunfire in his ears.

Dean knelt panting next to him, gun still aimed at the now dead Black Dog right in front of him.

He didn't know that his brother was hurt. Not until a few minutes ago.

Dean's tossing and turning had woken him. At first he just thought that it was a nightmare again. The ones his brother had lately since his return back from hell. But when the barely audible whimpers picked up on volume and Dean still didn't show any signs of waking, Sam decided to wake him up.

It was then that he noticed the unhealthy paleness of Dean's face and the beads of sweat running down his forehead.

Sam could feel the heat coming off of the older hunter even before he touched him.

"Fuck!", he cursed under his breath and tried to wake Dean up. Though this got him even more agitated.

But it was the mumbled words that send a shiver up and down his spine.

"_Not Sammy… not real…just tricks…he's save, he's save…" _

Sam sighed and stared at his image in the mirror. Their life never was easy but since New Harmony and the deal coming to an end it was downway scary and complicated and… He cut off that thought and concentrated on wetting a washcloth. Together with the now damp cloth, the first-aid kit and a glass of water he went back into the main room. Back to Dean who was struggling against sleep, the blankets shoved down to the end of the bed. His brother still had this slight 'deer-caught-in-the-headlight' expression on his face.

It was not the first time that Sam felt like he had too many plates in the fire. He was done with the thought of a normal life. But he longed for the times where it was just him, his brother and a case. Not him, his brother, a case and the fucking apocalypse! Not to mention this whole thing about his abilities.

Sam sat on the edge of the bed next to his brother.

Dean blinked tiredly at him. Despite his efforts his eyes stayed shut longer and longer.

Sam's stomach clenched painfully. Right now his brother looked kind of defenseless and vulnerable. Something he never would associate with his big brother.

"Sammy, you okay.", Dean ask with a low voice, blinking rapidly to clear his bleary vision.

Sam huffed and rolled his eyes. "Thought we covered that part before. Yeah, I'm fine. Don't think you can say the same from you." He searched for the Tylenol and Antibiotics inside the kit.

"I thought I was back. You know, back in the pit. The heat, the pain, it was all so real. I…", he trailed off and closed his eyes.

"It was just a dream, that's all. I'm here you know that. Here, take these, then you can sleep if you like.", Sam said gently. He handed his big brother a couple of white pills and the glass of water. Dean gratefully gulped down the cool liquid.

His eyes refused to stay open any longer and he let them slid shut. He knew that Sammy was with him. The thought that his little brother took care of him didn't sit right with him but at this moment he was just relieved to be somewhere safe.

Sam saw his brother relax and finally fall asleep again.

He placed the cool cloth on Dean's forehead, then turned his attention back to the claw marks on his brother's side.

He cleaned the deep cuts as good as possible. The contact between the Peroxide and the cuts made Dean groan softly but he didn't wake up.

Eventually Sam re-bandaged the wound.

He rubbed roughly at his eyes, willed the weariness to vanish.

Dean shifted slightly next to him. Eyes moving under closed lids. The cloth was about to slide down on the pillow and Sam grabbed it before it could make it all the way down.

He sighed wearily. Well, it seemed that this would be a long night…

End

The End?

Like it? Don't like it? Totally waste in time?! Let me know what you think. (pleading puppy dog eyes)


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